Local News

Sterling council planning for anti-MJ ordinance

Action on city ATVs also in works for June 25 meeting

STERLING — On Tuesday the Sterling City Council, which has so far waited to act on Amendment 64's legalization of recreational marijuana, took a step toward some kind of decision.

Though they didn't take any votes during their meeting, first impressions suggest they'll get their first chance to do so at their next meeting June 25 when they'll see an ordinance that may prohibit marijuana sales or cultivation in city limits.

What will specifically be included in the ordinance is still unclear, though council members said it was more important to have something in writing that they could discuss.

"This is something that, if we are going to move forward or allow it in our city, there are a lot of deadlines that are going to be here before we know it," said Mayor Heather Brungardt, who brought up the measure near the end of the meeting. "There are numerous departments in this city that ... are going to have a lot of work to do and we need to give them time to get it done. And if we're not going to move forward, I think they could also know that so they can at least put the anxiety of their many hours of work behind them."

Council member Dan Torres said the city should also include those departments in the discussion.

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Sterling will have to decide where it stands on a number of issues, according to City Manager Joe Kiolbasa, ranging from whether people should be allowed to possess (not consume) small quantities of marijuana on public property to whether it should be cultivated in city limits.

The council floated the idea of using a work session to find consensus on some of the ordinance's details, but couldn't find a free Tuesday to meet until July.

Council member Randy Brigham said the city should also take into account how the area voted on the ordinance in November — a thought he's voiced at previous city council meetings, as well.

That approach could be a little more difficult than it seems, according to precinct voting numbers from the Logan County Clerk and Recorder's Office.

More than 56 percent of Logan County voted against the measure (where there's now a moratorium on marijuana-related businesses).

But the seven precincts that make up Sterling — almost half of the county's voters — voted 52 percent against it. Four of the seven precincts voted in favor of it, making up the only four of 16 county precincts to do so. Ward information was unavailable.

Kiolbasa said presenting a written ordinance would allow council members to give "a thumbs up or a thumbs down" on all of the issues.

They'll take a similar approach to an ordinance allowing ATVs on city streets at their next meeting, as well.

When Brigham asked when the council would see a drafted ordinance, city attorney Curt Penny said he wasn't sure what the council wanted to do.

Council members cited proposals from citizen groups and similar Colorado cities they could draw from for the ordinance, such as Haxtun and Craig.

Penny said he'd draw on those "rather than reinventing the wheel."

"This is a complicated process, guys," he said, after the council spent about 15 minutes discussing the next step for marijuana and ATVs. "Whether you guys like (the marijuana ordinance) or you don't, you can decide what you want to do, but you'll have a piece of paper.

"Same with the ordinance out of Craig ... It just helps to have some structure to look at in writing."

New recycling company

Kiolbasa also told the council a company wanted to start a curbside recycle pickup on a contract basis with homeowners.

The unnamed company, which received a "pretty substantial grant," has started building its processing plant on Iris Drive.

They'll be able to take unsorted food boxes, books, newspapers, cans and plastics (probably not glass); they still won't take cloth, styrofoam, wax paper, plastic bags or food-soiled items like pizza boxes and used paper towels.

Kiolbasa didn't know what the company plans on charging, but said they're predicting they'll be able to take 35 to 50 percent of what's going to the landfill.

"I think there could be some interest there if you (recycle) from your driveway, so to speak," he added.

Two new city positions

The council might also look at adding two more city employees for 2014, Kiolbasa said.

One would be a grant writer and the other would focus on gathering city groups and helping to make plans happen from the 2012 downtown assessment and the city's master plan update.

Council members were optimistic about creating the positions, which had appeared in discussions at previous meetings; the positions were actually suggested in the downtown assessment.

Kiolbasa said the problem right now is that no one has time to fill that void, as the same people seem to serve on a number of committees already. And city staff don't have time to pursue grant opportunities.

"Obviously we have to look at the expense," Brigham said, "but I think a position like those would have a lot of merit with the activities that are going on between economic development, the chamber (of commerce) and the downtown redevelopment.

"I think if you could define some of the activities for a position like this it could become really efficient."

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